Hello all i was hiking through some redwood forests near my house and i came across the crown jewels for a diorama builder. I found a moss that grew like shelves on the side of a tree and simulate pine boughs perfectly....almost like bragdon enterprises. Well i was happier than a clam and "harvested" about 2 grape/fruit containers full and i separated the usable part of the moss from the chaff and set them to dry in my room over nite.

DOOMS DAY! I wake up and find all my treasures curled into balls. I pretty much jumped out of my skin and immideatly placed one in some water to see if it would unfurl to the original shape. To my relief, they did go back to the original shape. So now they are sitting in some water keeping their shape.

My question is whether i can use glycerine to allow them to KEEP their desired shape. Please tell me the methods for putting them in glycerin and whether i need to thin it down with water and by how much? Any tips on the use of glycerine is helpful because ive never used it.

Thanks you all in advance
Ian

Seems to me that I read a recipe for preserving plant material that involved mixing glycerine with rubbing alcohol. You might want to experiemnt and find out what works best.

Let us know what the results are!

Yep nothing beats representing nature than nature herself. I've worked with glycerin a fair bit albeit on ferns and some soft weeds. Just startted 2 months ago on moss. Some moss can be dried while retaining much of their original shape and volume and some like yours obviously don't.

The moss I worked with despite losing its color has maintained its shape and pliablility after I gave it a spray of glycerin:water at 1:15 mix and allowing it to dry away from direct sunlight. Soaking moss is tricky due to its short height and rudimentary root system if at all making it susceptible to drowning. If you soak it I would suggest placing it on a cotton ball soaked with a glycerin mix (maybe 1:10) for maybe 3-5 days and allowing it to dry out in an airy place away from sunlight. However, glycerin does have a habit of imparting an oil-like film making painting difficult for moss.

If the moss grew like shelves it sounds more like some fungus. Any chance for a pic, Ian?

I have used this method (glycerine and alcohol) myself with the fine mosses here in the midwest. It works very well with most. The method I have used is letting it soak for 3-5 days. Most of them I have done retain there shape. Not having worked with your specimen, I would would experiment with it. The modeler railroaders have done this for years. As for the coloring fading that seems unavoidable. I have always painted or tinted mine with ink. In years to come the natural products will get very brittle, but sometimes can be nurtured back to heath with a spray of glycerine and water.

well i have tried also to spray the plant with 1:10 glykerine - water and wrap it loosely in a news paper to take most of the excess moisture off. Then spray 1-2 coats of hair spray , let it dry and then a coat of acrylic varnish.

Seperate these in small portions and do different appraches of preserving methods to see what worls best

Costas